


when our eyes meet (we're like stars in a movie)

by starblossoms



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-14 04:18:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12999696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starblossoms/pseuds/starblossoms
Summary: Five times Seokmin proposes and one time he doesn't have to.





	when our eyes meet (we're like stars in a movie)

**Author's Note:**

> Note on the homophobia: Imposed heteronormativity, concept and laws following the idea that only men and women should marry. No slurs, overt bullying, or internalized homophobia.  
> I wasn't sure if I should rate this as G or T...

When Seokmin is six and Soonyoung is seven, he proposes for the first time.

They're in Seokmin and his sister's shared room, playing with Jooyeon's toys while she is at her dance lessons. Seokmin is holding one of her dolls in his hand (she's his sidekick while they play heroes), and Soonyoung has her sweater tied around him like a cape. Soonyoung said that as long as Jooyeon doesn't find out, they'll be okay. Seokmin believes him.

"What's this?" Soonyoung says, pulling out a pink box from the closet. He shakes it twice, puffing his cheeks out when the lid opens and a bunch of necklaces with colorful beads fall out. "Oops."

Seokmin's eyes widen with recognition when he sees a ring fall from the box. His aunt visiting from America is getting married soon, and she keeps talking about how important rings are. He picks it up and holds it proudly to the light. It isn't as shiny as his aunt's, but it still looks cool.

"People use this to get married, hyung!" Seokmin says, and grins even wider when Soonyoung ' _ooh_ 's and nods. He loves knowing something more than his older friend.

"See." Seokmin sits down in front of Soonyoung and slides the ring onto his finger, just like the way it looks on his aunt's hand. "When people wear it, that means they're married!"

Soonyoung grins back at him, then looks down at the ring. "Are we married now, Seoku?"

Seokmin giggles. People who get married love each other a lot, his mother told him, and Soonyoung is his most favorite person in the whole world. There's no one else he'd ever want to marry. He nods happily.

And that's that.

Soonyoung keeps the ring on, even after the game, and his mother raises an eyebrow when she comes to pick him up.

"Oh? What's that, Soonyoungie?" She asks, smoothing his hair down. It stubbornly sticks back up.

He grins up at her, showing his hand proudly. "A ring!"

"It's just like auntie's ring!" Seokmin adds. "Soonie-hyung and me are married!"

Soonyoung's mother laughs, surprised, and Seokmin's mother smiles warily. She has that look on that she usually gives to his teachers when they complain that he doesn't sit still.

"Hey." Jooyeon is back from practice and she's frowning at Soonyoung's hand. "That's mine."

She holds her hand out and waits for Soonyoung to slip the ring off and place it on her palm, then she glares at Seokmin, who smiles back with all the angelic innocence a younger brother can muster. "Sharing is caring, noona."

Jooyeon doesn't give the ring back, though, and Soonyoung has to leave. He's supposed to have dinner with his grandparents today. Seokmin wonders if he and Soonyoung are still married without the ring.

He doesn't get a chance to ask though, because his father makes him help set the table for their own dinner when he gets back from work, and he says in a low voice, "Seokmin -- boys can only get married to girls." He's serious, frowning a little, the way he always does when he's scolding Seokmin for something like drawing on the walls or giving the dog food from the table (he can't help it when Woojoo begs!).

"But I'm going to marry Soonie-hyung." Seokmin frowns. Why would he marry anyone else when he has Soonyoung?

"You can't," is his father's reply, and he sighs.

Seokmin's heart sinks. He doesn't get why his mother told on him, or why he's even in trouble. He pouts. "But why?"

"You just can't," his father says again, firmer this time. Final. Absolute. "Okay?"

Seokmin nods slowly, and ends up sulking through dinner.

Maybe it's supposed to be a secret then. He won't tell anyone else, but he's going to marry Soonyoung anyway.

 

 

The second time Seokmin proposes, he's fourteen, Soonyoung is fifteen, and it's all Hansol's fault.

"We're going to do a quick acting exercise," Dambi claps her hands together. "Something similar to improvisation."

Soonyoung has his arm around Seokmin's shoulders despite the mid-August heat (he's the same height as Soonyoung now, and it's kind of weird. He's gotten so used to Seokmin looking up at him, but the younger boy has been growing at an alarmingly fast rate). They're at the park, sitting under the little bit of shade the instructors of the acting workshop had managed to find.

Seokmin had eagerly convinced his mother to sign him up for the three day workshop. He hadn’t told his parents or sister -- just Soonyoung -- that he wanted to become a musical actor. He’d be incredible on stage, Soonyoung is one hundred percent sure of that, and he wants to be there with Seokmin, supporting him and his dream. So he managed to asked his mother to let him sign up as well, making sure it wouldn't interfere with his taekwondo practice and rattling off something about developing diverse skills.

"You'll split into teams of four. One narrator and three actors." Dambi explains, and Seokmin leans forward a little to listen better, eyes wide and eager. Soonyoung has been in classes with Seokmin before, and he's never been _this_ attentive, not even in the other acting lessons they've gotten so far. He's heard the other boys whispering about how pretty they think Dambi is. He wonders if Seokmin thinks so too (there's a weird twinge in his chest at the thought of that).

"We have a props bag for you all." Dambi grins, and there's a twinkle in her eye, and Soonyoung can kind of see why all the boys like her. She’s charming. "Each team gets to pick props and assign them to another team. Have fun!"

Seokmin finally turns and grins, all his attention on Soonyoung, and Soonyoung's belly warms, something fluttering around inside there, almost like when he's hungry and can smell his mother's cooking, but not exactly (they just had lunch, so there's no way it's that). "We're together, right hyung?"

Soonyoung squeezes Seokmin's shoulder, smiling back at him. "Of course, Seoku." He wouldn't have it any other way.

They end up with Hansol, Seungkwan, a fluffy pink scarf, and lipstick in the brightest shade of red Soonyoung has ever seen.

And of course -- these both end up on Soonyoung after losing rock-paper-scissors _twice_ , Seungkwan giggling as Soonyoung grumbles, "Kids these days have  _no_ respect for their elders."

Hansol ends up making up some ridiculous love-triangle between the three of them, Seungkwan eventually being caught by a Pokéball and rolling away (and that wasn't even the strangest thing Hansol had them do, compared to earlier parts of the performance).

"And then," Hansol says, stifling his laughter as Seungkwan continues to roll around the makeshift stage area. "Seokmin-hyung finds a ring--" Seokmin turns in place a few times, then dives down to the ground dramatically, picking the longest blade of grass he can find and ties it in a loop, "--and proposes to Soonyoung-hyung!"

"Kwon Soonyoung." Seokmin kneels on one knee, and it feels like a scene out of all the romantic-comedy movies their older sisters always loops them into watching (Soonyoung knows how much Seokmin secretly enjoys them). Seokmin tries to keep his tone and expression serious, but Soonyoung can see the mirth in his eyes, can hear the laughter that's threatening to bubble over. "Will you marry me?"

Soonyoung is frozen in place for a moment, his heart deciding to go into overdrive and his face heating up right at this very moment. He isn't _embarrassed_ , he knows that much, but there's something about _Seokmin_ and _marriage_ that's suddenly overwhelming. He almost forgets they're in front of twenty other people until one of the kids in the audience yells, "Say yes!"

Soonyoung gasps, high-pitched, placing a hand over his mouth, the way his character would, and bats his eyelashes. "Oh, Seokmin! Of course!" He holds out his other hand, skin tingling when Seokmin takes it carefully and slides the grass ring onto his finger.

"And then they kiss!" Hansol adds, sounding far too giddy, actually laughing when Seokmin stands up quickly and holds Soonyoung's face between his hands.

He turns their bodies so his back is to the audience and tilts his head, leaning closer in a way that seems so natural (has Seokmin done this before? Who is he kissing? Why hasn't he told Soonyoung? Didn't they tell each other everything?), stopping just before the tip of his nose bumps against Soonyoung's. There's laughter from the crowd, and one kid whistles suggestively.

They're so, _so_ close. Close enough for Soonyoung to be able to count eyelashes if he wanted to, close enough for Soonyoung to feel Seokmin's warm breath, close enough that if Soonyoung just leaned forward a tiny bit more, his lips could brush against Seokmin's.

And then it hits him like a particularly hard punch, square in the stomach, defenses down-- he _wants_ to lean in. He _wants_ to kiss Seokmin. He _wants_ to kiss his best friend and go on dates and hold hands and do all those things he's seen couples do. His breath hitches.

Seokmin leans back and grins at him, cheeks a little flushed, and Soonyoung doesn’t know what to do with himself. So he lets Seokmin tug him into standing in a line with Seungkwan and Hansol, and they bow, Soonyoung's heart pounding in his ears, drowning out the sounds of the applause.

The teachers allow for a ten minute break before starting the next activity, which quickly dissolves into chaos when Soonyoung makes it his mission to leave sticky lipstick prints on every boy's face -- anything to stop thinking about Seokmin's soft looking lips, anything to feel like himself again.

Poor Chan didn't stand a chance, and ends up with sloppy red outlines all over his forehead and both cheeks.

(Before Dambi get them to settle down, Soonyoung presses a quick kiss to Seokmin's cheek. Just so it doesn't seem like Soonyoung's ignoring him. And, it’s not like he’s never done it before. Seokmin gives him a gentle smile in return, and Soonyoung hopes, maybe naively, that he has the chance to make Seokmin smile like that over and over again.)

 

 

The third time Seokmin proposes, he's twenty-one years old, and Soonyoung is exhausted.

It's clear from the dark circles under his eyes and the deep sigh as he slips his shoes off and collapses on the couch, feet splayed across Seokmin's lap.

"Long day?" Seokmin asks, setting his phone down (pictures of Mingyu’s neighbor’s puppy can wait). The answer is obvious. Thursdays at the dance studio are the longest, with back to back classes all evening, and the beginner lessons for teen that Soonyoung teaches running just past nine. He's got a Japanese Literature paper due next week too.

Soonyoung mumbles something into the cushions as a reply and Seokmin pats his thigh gently. "Did you have dinner yet?" His hands slide down to Soonyoung's calves, massaging the muscles and coaxing out a another sigh.

"Mmn, not yet." Soonyoung turns his head, eyes still closed. His cheek is squished against the seat of the couch and his hair is still a little damp with sweat. "I just wanted to come home."

Seokmin's chest swells with affection -- at the sight of his boyfriend, and _home_. Their tiny little apartment just off campus, walking distance from the dance studio and a metro stop. It's nice, not perfect but not bad. Either way, Seokmin is sure he could be happy anywhere as long as he has Soonyoung with him. "I think there's some leftovers I could warm up? If not, I could cook something real quick?" His hands travel further down, and Seokmin can't help but smile at Soonyoung's choice in socks today -- pastel pink with yellow baby birds scattered across them. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Seokmin," Soonyoung groans as Seokmin's fingers press into the sole of his left foot just right. "You're the best," he declares, and Seokmin smiles brightly. Even after all this time, it makes his heart flutter. "And um," Soonyoung clears his throat. "Leftovers or ramyeon are fine."

Seokmin hums in acknowledgement and continues to work his hands over Soonyoung until he's sure his boyfriend dozes off, his breath slow and even.

But then he's speaking again: "You know what Junhui said the other day?" Soonyoung rolls onto his back slowly, careful not to kick Seokmin. "He said we're basically like a married couple."

Seokmin looks up in surprise, cheeks pink. "What made him say that?"

"He saw you packed me lunch with a cute little note -- that weekend the studio had a training camp." Soonyoung grins. The tips of his ears are bright red. "He said it was really domestic, like a married couple."

Seokmin opens and closes his mouth a few times, the heat in his cheeks spreading to the tips of his ears and the back of his neck. He wasn't prepared for a conversation like this, especially not today, out of nowhere. He swallows, mumbles, because he doesn’t know what else to say, "We _have_ been together for five years now." Half a decade.

"I agree with him," Soonyoung says easily. He flexes one foot."Compared to other couples, don't we kind of act like we're basically married?" Seokmin wonders if it's because they've been together this long, or because it's them -- Soonyoung and Seokmin, Seokmin and Soonyoung.

His hands come to rest on Soonyoung's ankle, and he looks at his boyfriend carefully. His warm smile and charming eyes. And really, Seokmin can't imagine being with anyone else for the rest of his life.

"Would you," Seokmin says slowly. He takes a breath. His face is still burning. "Would you want to marry me?" Someday, in the future. Seokmin has hope.

"Are you proposing, Lee Seokmin?" Soonyoung sits up with a grunt and leans forward, his smile widening into something more cheeky (still beautiful).

Seokmin sputters, somehow even more flustered than before, "Well, I mean--"

"I'd love to." Soonyoung finds Seokmin's hands and tangles their fingers. His hands are smaller than Seokmin's, his fingers thicker -- Seokmin loves them. They've always been a perfect fit. "If we could get married, I'd love to be your husband."

Seokmin squeaks at the word 'husband', and Soonyoung laughs, until Seokmin tackles him back onto the cushions and muffles him with insistent kisses, whispering, "I love you, I love you, _I love you_ ," when they pause for a breath.

 

 

The fourth time it happens, Soonyoung is thirty-five and he's stuck in a daze.

Barely two seconds after the door opens, Seokmin is in Soonyoung's arms, face pressed against his shoulder, already getting Soonyoung's shirt wet with tears. Soonyoung stretches to close the door behind them, then wraps his arms around Seokmin, fingers trembling. Only the sound of Ddalgi barking keeps Soonyoung in the moment.

" _Hyung_ ," Seokmin cries, his voice cracking. Soonyoung gently lifts his head up and holds Seokmin's face in his hands, staring at him with wide eyes. They hadn’t had the chance to talk much today, and now with Seokmin here in front of him, in his arms, it suddenly feels so _real_. 

Today's headline reads: Same Sex Marriage Leagalized.

“Hyung.” Seokmin takes a deep breath, trying to compose himself, but his eyes are like a broken dam. “Soonie-hyung.”

And something in Soonyoung breaks too because this is Seokmin -- the man he’s known all his life, his partner, his best friend, his other half. Soonyoung has always been skeptical of soulmates and destiny, but what else could explain how perfect he and Seokmin are for each other?

There’s tears streaming down his face too, a sob wracking his chest, and Seokmin pulls him close again, and they tremble together because it’s been years of lying, and hiding, and rejection, and being told what was right and what was wrong -- Soonyoung knows it’ll still be hard, but it’s a step forward, it’s something that could’ve only existed in a dream before.

“Marry me, hyung?” Seokmin whispers, once his breath comes out even and his voice is steady. His face is pressed Soonyoung’s neck, muffling his voice so Soonyoung feels the words more than hears them. Seokmin shifts so his forehead rests on Soonyoung’s, eyes still glassy and bright. “Will you marry me, Soonyoung?”

Soonyoung’s hands are still trembling as he cups Seokmin’s face, fingers brushing over his cheekbones, wiping at the tears. “Yes,” he says, and it comes out as a gasp. Right now, he isn’t sure if he _can_ say more than a single word. “ _Yes_.” And he leans in, kissing Seokmin gently, and it’s warm and familiar and safe, like home.

(In retrospect, it’s kind of funny. The two of them clutching each other, half-kissing, half-crying against each other’s lips, shaking until it calms into a gentle sway, until they’re holding each other and just breathing. Ddalgi gave up nipping at their heels and trying to get their attention, and instead flopped onto the sofa, watching lazily.)

Soonyoung laughs softly when he pulls away, using his sleeve to clean Seokmin’s face, Seokmin does the same with a grin -- wide and blinding, the same it’s always been since Soonyoung met him, with even more prominent laugh lines. “Follow me?” Soonyoung asks, rocking up on his toes to peck Seokmin’s cheek.

“Where are we going?” Seokmin chuckles, a little breathless, and Soonyoung grabs his hand and leads him out the door, feeling like he’s nineteen again -- head over heels and ridiculously confident.

It’s three flights of stairs to get the the roof, and they’re both a little winded, but Seokmin keeps up as Soonyoung sprints to the edge.

And maybe it’s stupid -- it probably is a horrible idea, just because they _can_ get married, doesn’t mean everyone else will just go along it -- but in this moment, Soonyoung feels like he’s on top of the world.

“I’M IN LOVE,” he yells to the clouds, painted pink and blue by the setting sun, and Seokmin laughs, collapsing into him and wrapping his arms around Soonyoung’s waist, and he’s just -- so fucking _happy_.  He says, just a little softer, “I’m getting married to the love of my life.”

Someone from the street yells something back -- either “shut up” or “congratulations”. Soonyoung isn’t sure, but he doesn’t care either.

All that matters is his _fiancé_ is pulling him back to sit down and holds his hand while they watch the sun kiss the horizon and slip away.

 

 

The fifth time, Seokmin is thirty-five now and he’s way more nervous than he should be.

He knows there’s nothing to worry about. Soonyoung already said yes. They’re _definitely_ getting married, they’ve been planning it out, even laughed about how much their friends would hate them if they wore neon pink suits (“It’s _our_ wedding,” Soonyoung huffed, “I’ll show up naked if I want to”). Wonwoo and Jeonghan will be their best men. Mingyu’s bakery will provide the cake. They’ve been talking to their parents, figuring out how to tell their families, who to invite, who would be accepting.

And yet, here Seokmin is: on his lunch break on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, under the most secluded cherry blossom tree he could find in the park, checking his phone every minute to see where Soonyoung is, a silver ring heavy in his pocket.

He had bought the ring a years ago, before they could marry, meant to give it to Soonyoung on an anniversary, as a gesture. A symbol of love and commitment, maybe. A reminder of that silly plastic ring Seokmin slid onto Soonyoung’s pointer finger a lifetime ago and told himself Soonyoung was the only one for him.

The timing has never felt right until now.

“Seokmin.” Soonyoung’s voice breaks his train of thought, and when Seokmin looks up, he’s waving. They’ve gotten used to looking like close friends in public, doing nothing more than quick hugs and maybe an arm slung around each other’s shoulders. Seokmin doesn’t think it’ll change for them, but it’s nice seeing younger couples in certain parts of Seoul holding hands less covertly.

“Hey, hyung.” Seokmin smiles back. “I was thinking we could get lunch after? I wanted to talk to you about something first.”

Soonyoung grins, eyes twinkling. “You brought me all the way to the middle of the park for a conversation.” He raises his eyebrows, playful. “Should I be worried?”

Seokmin laughs lightly, then clears his throat. He had tried to write a speech for this moment and memorize it. But nothing felt natural. Mingyu had told him to wing it, but he still needed to focus. He wasn’t about to go off tangent now. “Hyung.” He steps closer and looks around to see if there’s any other people -- this far in, at this time of the day, there’s only a young mother who is far too occupied with her two children to pay any attention to anything else.

He sinks down to one knee, and when he looks up, Soonyoung’s ears are already flushed red, cheeks and neck turning to match when Seokmin pulls the ring out of his pocket. “Seokmin?” A pink petal flutters down from the tree and lands on Soonyoung’s shirt.

“I know we’re already engaged.” Seokmin smiles sheepishly, and he’s struck with the sudden thought of Soonyoung finding this silly. And maybe it is silly -- how he’s always clung to this idea of rings and proposals and marriage before he even understood what they were, how he’s always been so enchanted by movie-perfect relationships. But Soonyoung just grins back at him, and lets him continue. “And I really love how we became engaged. How I asked you to marry me. But this is something I’ve always wanted to do.”

“I don’t know when I first fell in love with you. I feel like I might have always loved you? At least in some way, since the day we met. We’ve grown and gone through so much together. And we’ve been through really hard times too. We’ve fought and we’ve broken up, but we’ve always come back stronger.” He wish he could say breaking up with Soonyoung had been the worst decision of his life -- but he had learned a lot about himself, he learned how to live -- survive  -- without Kwon Soonyoung in his life. It was for the best, especially when they bumped into each other at a party, three years later, and Soonyoung reached out to him the next day with a very grand, very _Soonyoung_ gesture, asking if they could try again.

“And I want that all of that, for as long as you want it too. I want the good times, and the hard times. I want to share your happiness and your pain and everything in between. I love you, Kwon Soonyoung. I love every single thing about you. If I tried to make a list, I swear it would never end.” Seokmin swallows, licking his lips. “I want to continue to be with you. I want to spent the rest of our lives together. Will you marry me?”

After a beat, Soonyoung sinks to his knees too, misty-eyed and beaming. He almost leans in, to kiss Seokmin, but he holds himself back, for now. “I want to be with you, too. For the rest of our lives. There’s no one more perfect in the world for me than you.” He says, and reaches out to wrap his fingers Seokmin's wrist gently, subtle contact. His skin is warm and soft. “I love you so much, Seokmin.”

And Seokmin sniffles. Soonyoung doesn't say those three words as often as Seokmin does. He thinks it loses meaning, and Seokmin doesn't mind if he's the one who says it more -- he knows how Soonyoung feels. Every time Soonyoung does say it though, Seokmin can practically feel his heart swell and threaten to beat out of his chest. 

There isn't that burning intensity this time, the overwhelming wave of emotion like when he asked last fall. Instead, it's gentle warmth -- draping over him, spreading all the way to his toes, and it's just as wonderful. And it feels like something out of a drama when there's a slight breeze and more petals rain down on them, caressing Soonyoung's cheeks the way Seokmin wish he could right now.

“Go ahead.” Soonyoung holds his hand out, eyes twinkling, and this time Seokmin slips the ring on the correct finger.

(Later that night, Soonyoung lays him out on their bed, hands and lips everywhere, so gentle and attentive with his touch and his words that Seokmin thinks he may cry. And he does, at the end, shivering as Soonyoung finishes too and whispers in his ear, “You complete me.”)

 

 

The sixth time, Soonyoung is seventy-eight, and Seokmin doesn’t even need to propose.

They’re in the kitchen, Soonyoung seated and peeling and chopping up garlic while Seokmin bustles around, getting other ingredients ready. Christmas is next week, but both of them wanted to celebrate early with friends -- before people went off to spend time with children and grandchildren.

He could use one of those fancy devices to peel and dice the garlic for him, but there’s something nostalgic about doing it manually that he likes. Plus, he’s never been too good with technology -- new or otherwise. Seokmin always teases him about it.

(“It’s voice control, you dinosaur,” Seokmin laughed.

Soonyoung wrinkled his nose, pushing the contraption onto Seokmin’s lap. “You’re not that much younger than me, brat.” And he only let Seokmin off the hook after he apologized with a kiss.)

Soonyoung stills the knife when he feels a pair of eyes on him, and when he looks up, Seokmin is leaning against the counter, gaze soft.

Soonyoung’s lips quirk up. “Like what you see?”

“Mm, you’re quite a catch.” He winks and smiles. Their cats -- Edward and James -- watch from the window sill, unamused. “Real marriage material, I’d say.”

Soonyoung snorts, “You don’t need to propose again, you silly old man. I’m already yours.” His eyes go to the ring on Seokmin's finger, the one that matches his own.

Seokmin’s smile widens and he closes the space between them, gentle when he helps him out of his seat, because lately Soonyoung’s knees have been worse than usual. “And I’m yours.”

Soonyoung chortles, but he leans into Seokmin a little and wraps his arms around his waist. “You’ve been so sentimental, these days.”

“It’s almost Christmas,” Seokmin says. He’s always loved the holiday, and their first real kiss -- back when they were teenagers with too many confusing feelings -- was a few days after. Seokmin had avoided him for weeks, until Soonyoung managed to corner him and blurt out a confession. “And, I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Soonyoung tilts his head up to peck Seokmin once, twice, three times and a few more, until Seokmin laughs softly.

“That’s enough kisses, old man, we need to finish cooking before our guests arrive.” But he doesn’t move away, soft eyes filled with affection that’s never really faded, and Soonyoung doesn’t think life could’ve been more wonderful.

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to Iva for helping me with this and encouraging me and generally being the BEST ;;;;; ily  
> The title is from the song Man in a Movie ^^  
> I hope this was alright, thank you for reading


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